very interesting.... I am a story architect where I lead audiences into immersive narratives.... we have been experimenting with some of the topics you have highlighted... we have tested multiple journeys in one narrative..... and have yet to test audience creating their own narrative . we work in a building with a a fixed time with which a narrative can unfold . and for the audience can begin interaction . tjhanyou for the slides very useful

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Six Patterns of Interactive StorytellingDonnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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It has to be interactive! Does it? Since the ﬁrst computer people are fascinated by the idea of interactive stories. Think about the Holodeck in Star Trek. A device able to create fully immersive, interactive and ﬁctional worlds. The idea of an audience that takes an active role in the story instead of just watching is intriguing. The claim to offer an interactive experience sells video games and advertising campaigns. However a lot of so called interactive experiences are quite boring. Simply because not every story is suitable for an interactive approach. We work with six Patterns of Interactive Storytelling - that may also help you to rethink, test, reframe and tell your stories in a participatory way.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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! 00. TODAY Today we see brands communicating on several platforms, trying to connect to us, the audience. However these approaches are often only loosely connected by something lika a theme, a key visual or a message. Some activities of brands might even tell a story, but a real connection between touchpoints is often missing. The activities mostly exist separated from each other and there is little reason for an audience to visit them in a connected way. A story can create meaningful connections between these touchpoints.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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01. Structually every story is a series of events that are linked by cause and effect. 02. Interactive Storytelling asks: How can the audience participate in some of the main story events? Do the events have to be experienced in a linear order? 03. Transmedia Storytelling asks: How may events of a story unfold on different platforms? How can several stories create a uniﬁed experience on different platforms and stages.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Storyteller‘s Audience Control Participation - 0 1 2 3 4 5 + Level of interactivity We see six levels of audience interactivity in storytelling. They reach from no audience participation to nearly complete audience freedom. Please note: The more an audience can participate in a story the less a storyteller is in control of the story. As you will see there is a pattern for every level of interactivity.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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However, it is not about passivity. Often people think that non-interactive, linear media (TV/Movies/ Books) is consumed in a passive way, while interactive media is enjoyed by an active audience. We think media passivity is a myth - and we are not alone: „The idea that the mechanics of traditional „A passive audience is not a storytelling, which are innate to the human ability sign for a lack of interactivity. to communicate are somehow nulliﬁed by It is a sign for bad storytelling interactivity is absurd. [...] When one is engaged in - interactive or not.“ any kind of storyline, interactive or not, one is continually making decisions: ,What will happen (Valentin Heyde) next?‘ ,What should the hero do?‘ ,Don‘t open the door!‘ The difference only comes in the participant‘s ability to take action. (Jesse Schell, The Art of Game Design p. 263)Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Six Patterns of Interactive StorytellingDonnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Linear 0 Description: In linear storytelling the events unfold in a pre-scripted way. The audience does not have any inﬂuence on the course of events. This is the most common way we read books, watch video or enjoy theater. Since the audience can not inﬂuence the story, the storyteller is in full control. If the audience likes the story it is almost impossible to not get emotional attached to the events and characters of the story. Linear storytelling is the easiest way to make people cry. However your story has to be really emphatic, exiting and relevant if you want people to grant more than 30 seconds of their awareness.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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The Wardrobe. Canal +, BETC Euro RSCG, 2009 A linear TV AD is still a great device to excite people. However it needs a story to be entertaining. And even the most clever TV Ad gets dull when you have seen it a thousand times. But the 30sec frame of a TV Ad is not mandatory.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Linear Interactive 1 Description: In linear interactive storytelling the events will also enfold in a pre-scripted way. However the audience might have some limited inﬂuence in certain parts of the story. A lot of video games use this mode of narration. Although a player might act freely within a level of the game he can not change the overall storyline. Think about Super Mario (the slide before): Mario has to rescue the princess. The story is simple an linear. However the player can control how Mario walks through the levels. Looking beyond games you will ﬁnd this pattern in interactive books, digital newspapers. It is a narrative that still gives the storyteller a lot of control.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Fantastic Flying Books. Fantastic Flying Books. Moonbot Studios 2011 In this interactive book the story is ﬁxed. However the user can interact with some scenes and props (like the piano).Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Dirty Work on Rides-TV Dirty Work, rides.tv, 2012 On rides.tv you can follow several pre-scripted narratives. On certain points of the story you will get phone calls or see what has happened before.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Max Payne 3 Max Payne 3, rockstar games, 2012 Even a blockbuster game like Max Payne 3 uses linear interactivity. The player follows a pre- scripted storyline from one gun battle to the next.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Deutsche Telekom Roadmovie Telecom Roadmovie | Agency: DDBTribal, 2012 This campaign is currently running in Germany. The Deutsche Telecom asks people to participate in the production of a roadmovie starring a Hollywood actor. However the audience can only participate in small details (like designing props or suggesting locations). Although it is never said openly one gets the impression, that the story is already made up. Furthermore: Since the audience does not ﬁnd any clue what the movie is about - there is little reason to get actively involved. Indy ﬁlm projects like IronSky on the other hand could rely on the help of their fans, because they offered an unseen and interesting storyline that fans would not see without their help.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Multiple Ending 2 Description: In a multiple ending narrative the audience can decide on the outcome of a story. However they can‘t change how the story enfolds. Most usually you will ﬁnd multiple ending narratives in casting shows. The most simple way to build a multiple ending narrative is to create an audience voting. Because the audience gets most of their satisfaction depending on the ending of a story, the storyteller is giving away a great share of his power in a multiple ending narrative. So if you choose to go with a multiple ending narrative - make sure that every possible ending is really compelling.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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OTTO Model-Contest, 2009 An audience voting on models or package design is an easy way to create a multiple ending narrative. It is widely used in facebook marketing and pr. However the storyteller has to be prepared that the audience might choose an ending that the storyteller did not anticipated or wanted. The audience does that because it is fun to challenge the storyteller. On the other hand if the audience feels that their vote is not fully counting - they will loose the fun in it. In 2009 German fashion retailer OTTO saw himself confronted with a male student in woman‘s cloth winning a model contest. They took it with humor and produced a shooting with him.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Axe Anarchy | Agency: razorﬁsh/BBH, 2012 The digital Axe Anarchy campaign allowed the internet audience to participate in the real-time production of a graphic novel. They could also decide on the ending of the story. So it is a mix of two patterns linear interactive and multiple ending.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Branching Path Description: 3 A branching path narrative consists of pre-structured key- events that can be reached on different pathways or platforms. Depending on the complexity of the branching path this way of telling offers a great opportunity to generate different experiences out of the same story. That is why a lot of the classical adventure games like „The Secret of Monkey Island“ (the slide before) have used the branching path pattern. Today a branching path is an interesting model to think about transmedia campaigns and Alternate Reality Games (formally known as Scavanger Hunts).Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Dexter ARG | Agency: Modernista, 2010 In the Dexter Alternate Reality Game the users follow a branching path narrative to catch a serial killer. During this scavenger hunt they need to visit websites and live events.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Hell Pizza Hell Pizza, Delivery to Hell Adventure | Agency: littlesistersﬁlms, 2010 In Pizza Delivery from Hell users follow a series of clips on youtube telling the story of a delivery guy hunted by zombies. The story enfolds depending on the choices the user makes at each branching point.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Open World (sometimes called ,sandbox‘)Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Open World Description: Instead of telling a story in a linear way and with a clear ending, an Open World spreads narratives and events 4 throughout a ﬁctional space. In the Open World pattern the setting of a story is more than just a backdrop to the story events. The audience can move freely between the events. The user is building his own story - based on his movements and the events pre-scripted by the storyteller. An open world has some deﬁning elements. An Open World can be visualized in a map. It has borders conﬁning the ﬁctional space. Often the world has a central theme, a history and certain rules about how to behave in the world. Computer games like GTA are using this mode of narration. Also theme parks and malls are examples of Open World narratives. Some times Open Worlds are seen as the basis for transmedia storytelling. So big movies try to create an open world - however their worlds often have a strong gravitational center like a linear cinematic movie.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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The theme park is the most obvious open world narrative. Several story events (rides) are organized in a space. It is up to the user to experience it.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Fanta. King of the Park. Agency: argonauten G2 , 2011 Fanta took the idea and has created a theme park for facebook. However it lacks the feeling of Theme-ing and therefore storytelling.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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GTA, Rockstar Games The GTA games take the theme park principle into the virtual world (together with the map).Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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feature film Prometheus. Ridley Scott, Twentieth Century Fox A blockbuster movie like prometheus extends a ﬁctional open world mostly around the feature ﬁlm in it‘s center.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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Toy Box Description: A toy box offers complete audience freedom. Instead of 5 telling the story or pre-scripting the events, the storyteller creates only a framework, a stage, a playground. To give this playground a meaning according to the story, the storyteller will deﬁne it by rules. According to these rules the user can create his own story like in a simulation. The game „The Sims“ is a great example for a Toy Box. A toy box is interesting because the audience experiences rules instead of hearing about them. That might make it easier to persuade - because humans have a strong believe in their actions. So instead of presenting a story the storyteller develops a toolkit for the audience to help them develop stories on their own. One questions stays unanswered: Is a Toy Box still storytelling?Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW:

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One last thought: It does not matter how interactive or participatory a story is planned and delivered. The individual user experience is still always linear. Because life is (let‘s face it) linear. Therefore as a storyteller you have to make sure that every path a user might choose to experience a story is as exiting as another.Donnerstag, 23. August 12, KW: